


perturbation

by ocarina (spidersworstenemy)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dark, I like writing about darkish things, Psychological Drama, So please enjoy., This was somewhat self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 07:47:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2500133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spidersworstenemy/pseuds/ocarina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>modern au / college au.</p><p>link feels... different.<br/>anxious.<br/>why is he so reactive to little things?<br/>and he keeps seeing another version of himself when he looks into the mirror.<br/>has his college anxiety finally made him lose it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	perturbation

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea when talking to my boyfriend at around three am. I hope you enjoy, and I'll definitely be writing this until its completion.

It was around one in the morning when she finally told him to go to bed.

Licking her drying lips, the blonde soothed back her best friend's hair with maternal affections. He continued to shake, hyped up on too much coffee. Tomorrow was their first day of Hyrule University; and while it seemed like an accomplishment, Link Salva felt... Numbed.

Numbed by his strange feeling of dread in the pit of his empty stomach, he saw Zelda Harkinian out, bidding her a safe night driving. Sitting on the couch; the jittery male did not sleep until around three in the morning, when his caffeine rush ran out. For once in the past few weeks; his dreams were innocent -- the caffeine rush had certainly provided him that; and for which, he was grateful.

Waking up to a figure shaking his limp form, Link let out a yawn before being tossed an outfit. Zelda always had a key to his apartment, so she usually was the one to make sure he was not late. She was the early bird, he, the night owl.

"Link, come on! You're going to be late!"

"Zeeeellll... Five more minutes..." Whining like a child, Link rubbed his bleary eyes as she tutted and flitted about making him a quick breakfast.

"No, Link. Come on, get up."

With a childish throw of a couch pillow at her -- which had totally missed, seeing as it unimpressively landed on the floor halfway to the kitchen -- the blond rolled off the couch, going into the bathroom. Normal daily activities aside, he was afraid to look into that mirror. His sapphire eyes would not be sapphire. His golden hair would not be the color of warm wheat. His lightly tanned complexion would not be the light, toasty warm color it usually was.

He would see the grey of corpse skin, the crimson of blood, and the silvery white of a ghost.

These strange apparitions in his mirror frightened him, and while the figure held his own expressions; it soothed his mind none. Why was he seeing this? Was it the anxiety? Possibly -- why shouldn't Link chock it all up to the weird psychological bout he was having? Managing to brush his teeth, wash his face, and get dressed with only one small glance in the mirror -- and the vision of the grey, corpse like self -- he came tumbling out and tying his sneakers by time Zelda shoved him a plate of food.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He spoke with a mouthful of toast, earning a roll of icy hues from the girl.

"I ate before I Left, Link. You eat, and I'll go with you up to the campus. I have to check my schedule again anyway, I think something got messed up."

Link snorted, spooning eggs into his mouth, speaking once more to the girl with his mouth full. "Probably. So many students, Zelda. Isn't that transfer kid going, too?"

She swatted at him, chastising him to talk when his mouth wasn't full. "Sheik? Yes, he's going. Said he's studying music. Quite the serious boy, he is."

Link had managed to scarf down the eggs and toast she had made in record time, vowing to do the dishes for her later as they piled their bags into the back of her small car and drove off.

The anxiety was boiling in the pit of his stomach, and what little breakfast he did eat felt like it was going to come back up. What was an introverted extrovert like him doing in a large university like this?

"Link? You ok?"

"Just fine, Zel. Promise."

"Are you sure? " She looked up towards her friend with a worried glance, motherly affection ready to override all sense of reasoning that yes, he should go in today.

"Just fine. You go on to the guidance office, alright? I'll go find my first class."

With another spot of a worried glance, she bid him farewell and said they'd meet up for lunch later. He agreed, and went about finding Building 3, lecture hall 5. He would be a languages major, he had decided it back in his freshman year of high school: Sheik Sheikah had transferred into the school from Kakariko, and spoke nothing but his own language. At the same time, Link had also transferred from Ordon -- making them part of the Hylian as a Second Language (HSL) program. Together -- all alone against everyone else, with the exception of maybe Zelda.

And lo and behold, the Sheikah boy was in his classroom, perched atop the edge of the teacher's desk and speaking in a hushed conversation.

After seeing Link, he hopped down and went up to greet him. His smile was childish, as was the boy himself. They decided to sit together, which eased up Link's anxiety just a tad.

"So, it has been a while, no?" The accent of Sheik was still thick as ever, as thick as when they had started their HSL class back in freshman year. Link smiled at the warmth of the memory of it all those years ago.

"It really has, Sheik," the Ordonian male leaned back in his seat. If anything, the jeans and graphic tee he wore beneath a cloth zip up hoodie looked so off on his lean, farmhand body.

"What were you going to study again, Link?"

"Languages. That's why I'm here, learning more Hylian."

Sheik grinned, nodding. "Me, as well. I still have not grasped much of Hylian grammar."

Link let out a laugh, "Well, I still haven't understood much Hylian vocabulary. I guess we're the opposite." Sheik's laugh was good natured, and it calmed Link's anxiety further. Perhaps college wouldn't be so bad, after all. Then again, Sheik, nor Zelda, nor any familiar faces would not be in all of his classes.

That thought made him inhale sharply, which was not unnoticed by the Sheikah.

"Link? Are you feeling alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yea, fine, " his words were slightly distracted with the clearing of the professor's throat.

"Good morning, everyone. As some of you may know, my name is Professor Navi," her smooth voice was like melted butter, warm and maternal. It honestly seemed to soothe Link. "This class is on Hylian language, both written and spoken. Those who are from other regions may still be learning and grasping the language, so I ask that there is no rude speak."

Shiek and Link exchanged a silent look, the mirth hidden within the depths of their eyes. It was only then that Link seemed to notice that Sheik had crimson eyes: as red as the bloody drops that faced him in his accursed mirror.

Link found that since that second of realisation, he could not look into Sheik's eyes anymore.


End file.
